Police make gains in fight against illegal logging, importation

The
Gambia Police Force is making significant gains in stemming cross-border
illegal logging and smuggling. On 13 January 2018, at a district tribunal
presided over by Kanimang Sanneh, chief of Jimara, seven Senegalese and one
Gambian were fined a sum of Seven Thousand Dalasi (D7000.00) each, after they
pleaded guilty.

The
eight were charged with two counts of felling trees without license and illegal
importation of forestry products contrary to sections 27 and 4 respectively of
the Forestry Regulatory Act.

They
were arrested on 16 December 2017 by police in URR during a routine night
patrol in Jimara. The police chanced on them smuggling timber on horse and
donkey carts. As part of the sentence, the carts and timber logs were forfeited
to the Forestry Department, while the donkeys and horses were returned to the
accused. Felling and smuggling of timber across the border of Gambia and
Senegal are a growing criminal activity in the regions of URR, CRR and LRR and
police and other security forces are coordinating efforts in order to stem its
rise.

On
17 November 2017 during a joint security border patrol in CRR, security
personnel came across a group of men smuggling timber logs into The Gambia. On
seeing the patrol team, the perpetrators fled leaving behind nine donkeys and
one horse each tied to a cart loaded with timber. These were escorted to the
Bansang Police Station.

Supt.
David Kujabi PRO of Gambia Police Force said that efforts made to trace the
owners of the donkeys and horse has so far not been successful. He disclosed that
the animals are currently under police custody and it is costing a lot to feed
and care for them. PRO Kujabi added that the police have consulted the Bansang
Magistrate and are doing what is legally necessary to dispose of the animals
through public auction.